Älä Mene Metsään, Chapters Tree & Four
Aug. 4th, 2006 12:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arabwelDisclaimers & Other such things in First Part
The days passed; Yule came and went, the winter’s back was broken and the days of spring eventually arrived. The days grew long and the summer came, but eventually the cold winds returned and the leaves turned red and gold again.
It was a bright, crisp autumn day when Anna was walking through the woods, chattering excitedly to Kita. The beast’s replies were noncommittal grunts but she knew quite well that he was listening, and definitely would not be forgetting anything she said.
All of a sudden, Kita halted. “Cub,” he growled, “Get into a tree. Now.”
Anna’s eyes grew wide; she knew Kita wouldn’t have said that if he hadn’t been really serious. She nodded affirmatively and looked around, her eyes settling on a big heavy fir. She dashed over, pulling her skirts up as she clambered up the tree, not stopping until she was a good ten feet off the ground.
Just in time – because as soon as she looked at where Kita stood, a huge bull moose emerged through the junipers, rearing at the ground and charging straight towards Kita.
Anna’s eyes widened and she bit her lip to stifle a shriek as she clung tighter to the tree. The bull was enormous, its head easily high enough to reach her if the animal would come to her; the antlers on his head were huge and many-pronged, and stained with Anna thought might have been blood.
Kita roared, standing up from his usual crouch as the bull barrelled on; his muscles bunched and he leaped at the bull, meeting its rush.
Anna did cry out as the bull tumbled down, as did Kita; despite her vantage point, she could not see what was going on, couldn’t see if Kita had been hurt…
She didn’t think as she quickly climbed down, dropping the last few feet as she dashed to where the moose had gone down. She pushed through the junipers, her heart in her throat, worry filling her as she saw the moose on the ground, its enormous body twisted and still. .
”Kita?” her voice faltered; had he...? “A- are you all right?”
”Yes, you stupid cub, I am!” the growl came but a heartbeat later, and the moose’s side heaved. “Why the hell are you not up that tree?”
Relief flooded over Anna. “You’re all right!”
”I said I am, cub!” Kita grunted as he clambered up, yanking the edge of his ragged bearskin cloak from beneath the bull’s body. “But you didn’t answer me.”
Anna flushed. “I... I thought you were hurt!” she blurted out.
“No moose is going to bring me down, cub,” Kita growled. “Next time you stay up the bloody tree.”
Anna nodded, biting her lip. “I will, Kita. I’m sorry for not doing like you said.”
“Good. Now come, shouldn’t waste this.“
**
Kita buried his teeth in the moose’s throat, tearing into the hot flesh. Blood splattered his face, but it did not gush forth like it would have had the animal not been already dead.
Anna was a few feet away, pulling her skirts back to keep the blood from hitting her.
”It’s dead, cub,” he grunted as he swallowed the bloody meat, “The blood’s not bad.”
”Wh.... Why did it do that?” Anna asked him. “I mean, why did it attack you`”
He snorted as he bit into the carcass again. “Rut.”
“What’s that?”
The genuine curiosity in Anna’s voice made Kita pause and tilt his head to look at her. “Rut. You don’t know?”
The girl shook her head. “Nu-uh. What’s a rut?”
”’s when the moose mate,” Kita said matter-of-factly. “Happens every year.”
Again, Anna frowned. “When moose do what?”
Kita blinked. Just how clueless was the cub? Didn’t those foolish humans teach their young even the bare bones of life?”
“Mate. That’s when the bull mounts the cow,” Kita said. “‘S the way young are made. The bull mounts the cow, the tom mounts the queen… then it grows heavy with the young and will birth after time passes, the cow to a calf, the queen to kittens.”
For a moment, Kita thought of the small creatures and how delicious they could be; he’d given up on them, though, when the cub had been so happy to play with the food…
“What about humans?” Anna asked curiously. “Are babies made that way, too?”
Kita nodded affirmatively. “Yes. But humans don’t have a rut; humans mate around the year.”
Anna’s eyes grew wide. “Is that why babies are born every month but calves only in the spring?”
“Yes. Done with questions?” Kita snorted. “Good.”
He took another bite from the moose’s neck before he looked at Anna; the cub had grown another inch or two in the past year, and was looking good and strong. “Hmm... I suppose you’re grown enough”
Her confusion was plain for him to see as his claws tore into the moose’s side, slicing through the skin and extracting a good chunk of meat.
“Here,” he held it out for the girl to take. “Feed.”
**
The wind was cold and the trees bare when things changed.
She was waiting for Pastor Mullander, eager to start her lessons. But he was nowhere to be seen, despite the fact that she had seen him come to the yard… and his horse was unmistakable, a bony brown gelding as bad-tempered as his master.
Anna knew she should just stay and wait, but she had already checked over her lines twice now, and she really did wonder why the priest was stalling. Feeling a little guilty, she got out of her chair and made her way to the door, opening it quietly.
The corridor was empty, but she could hear noise; it seemed to be coming from one of the unused rooms along the corridor. The door to the room was ajar and Anna peeked in…
Her eyes grew wide and she gasped at the sight of the priest and one of the servant girls – Saara, she realized. Even to her there was no mistaking what was going on.
Anna felt her cheeks flush and backed away quickly, running back to her room and slamming the door shut behind her. She was not meant to see that! Not that she had seen much; if she had not been told by Kita what mating was, she wouldn’t have known what they were doing but still... she should have just stayed in her room!
The door banged open, startling Anna.
The priest barged in, his reddened face twisted in an expression of fury. “You fool of a girl!” he snarled, raising his hand.
Before Anna could react, the priest backhanded her.
”Don’t you dare to ever tell a soul what you saw, you little whore,” the priest continued, “Or else…”
Anna could only nod in shock, her ears ringing, tasting blood on her lips.
“Good,” the priest sneered, raising his hand again; Anna shied away. “If you will, I’ll beat you black and blue and have you in the stocks for a month!”
Anna watched mutely as the man spun on his heel and left, slamming the door after him. She felt numb, not even feeling the blood that has started to steadily drip from her nose or the bruise that had began to form on her cheek.
How could he have done that?
Anna couldn’t think; she was still in shock at the priest’s fury, the pain starting to slowly seep through. She didn’t think as she stumbled out of the room, down the stairs, out of the door to the yard and to the path that led into the woods.
**
As she slowly glided over the leaf-covered ground, Awa could tell something was wrong. She could feel it, a taste of something terrible to come in the air; it was in the way the wind cut into her and the trees groaned; something horrible would happen.
Awa smiled.
When her cat-eyes spied the small form upon the path, her smile vanished and she felt dread:
In what would have been a heartbeat, had her heart not been a blackened husk, she made her way to the girl who was stumbling along the path, her face smeared with blood and tears.
“Oh, precious,” Awa breathed, kneeling to wrap her arms around Anna’s body as the child gratefully collapsed into the embrace, sobbing quietly, “What happened? Who did this to you?”
The trees groaned with fury, and Awa knew why, the fury of her liege Lordi had been awakened; there would be hell to pay now that which was his had been harmed.
‘
”Come, child, “ she whispered gently, lifting Anna into her arms with preternatural grace, “I will take you to him.”
The wind rushed past, cold and unforgiving as Awa sped through the swiftly darkening woods; Anna did not even try to speak, just clung to the sorceress, her arms wrapped tightly around Awa’s neck.
Awa knew she had to bring the girl to her liege; Lordi would wish to deal with whatever had hurt Anna himself. Even though the desire for retribution had begun to boil beneath Awa’s skin, she knew that there was no question of what was the right thing to do.
She reached the edge of the clearing just in time to see Lordi emerge from the caverns, a feral scowl on his face and his wings outstretched, her liege was out for blood.
Anna shifted in the sorceress’ arms, her eyes fluttering open; the bleariness receded as she saw Lordi and when the strong arms relieved Awa of her burden, her little hands reached out to her friend.
**
When Anna finally fell into exhausted sleep upon the furs of his bed, Lordi let his anger rise to the fore. He stood up, his eyes flaring crimson in the darkness.
The priest would pay.
He would pay for daring to lay a hand on Anna, for daring to hurt her, for marking what was his – the memory of the bruise brought forth a snarl from him.
Oh yes, the priest would pay.
He stalked out of the caverns, spreading his wings as he reached outside. He saw Awa hovering at the edge of the clearing, her anxiousness clear.
”Go to her,” he snarled.
The dark glee of the hunt flowed over him as he stalked forth, stoking his wrath further.
Somewhere in the darkness, a wolf howled in fright.
**
Swearing under his breath, Jan Mullander spurred his horse on. He could hear the howls in the darkness and cursed his foolishness for deciding to head back home rather than to spend the night. But if that little whore had not riled him up and then disappeared, alarming half of the household…
When his horse reared, he swore again. His heels dug into the animal’s sides to no avail, he was thrown off, impacting with the ground heavily.
He uttered another oath as he looked up: the horse had taken off, and he could not even see it any longer, there was something on the road…
The clouds parted, revealing the full moon and the creature that had frightened his horse.
Mullander froze; his heart sped up like that of a racing hare and his mouth went dry with sheer fright at the sight before him; a beast, taller than any man, with leathery wings spread out to block the stars and eyes that glistened red like heartblood.
”Stay back, devil!” he cried out as he scrambled up. “God is on my side.”
The beast laughed. The sound chilled him to the bone, as did the sight of sharp, gleaming teeth.
”I am no devil, fool!” the demon growled, “And your god won’t save you now.”
The priest took a step back, brandishing his cross with sweaty hands. “God will protect me, foul fiend!”
But even as he spoke, terror and doubt quickly took hold of him.
“You struck against me and mine,” the beast snarled, as if not having heard his words, “And for that you will die.”
Mullander faltered, his hold of his cross slipping, as doubt rose in his mind. What could have he done to raise the ire of this creature?
Then it hit him. “The little whore!” she spat out, the anger overwhelming his fear for a moment. “The witch!”
The beast growled, and terror struck through the priest a moment before the beast’s hand did, the sharp claws tearing into his cheek as he was struck down.
”What you did spawned your fate,” the beast growled. “Now... you will burn.”
**
Hot blood still clung to his claws as he stepped into his chamber and strode over to where Anna lay peacefully, curled up and looking so very fragile and small.
Even in the near darkness, the bruise on her cheek was clear and it sent another wave of anger through Lordi, no matter how futile; the man who had done this to his precious little Anna was beyond his retribution now... sent there by his claws not much earlier.
The girl shifted on the furs, raising her head blearily. “… Lordi?”
Instantly, his anger receded and he strode to her, kneeling next to the furs as he reached out o pull her into his arms. “I am here, precious,” he growled. “Sleep… you need the rest, my princess.”
For a short moment his mind drifted into more pleasant times, a summer’s day when the curious girl-child in his arms had demanded yet another story…. And what she had asked.
“Am I your princess?”
And his reply.
“Yes, Anna... you are my princess.”
She was his. He growled quietly as he pulled her tighter against his chest. Nothing would ever change that. He would never let her go.
Even in her sleep, Anna squirmed to get closer to him and he accommodated her, her cheek coming to rest against his shoulder as he pulled up a bear pelt to wrap around her small shoulders to keep the chill in the air from seeping to her.
For a very long time he simply sat there, cradling the girl in his arms. His eyes were closed and he listened to her even breathing, as he contemplated what he intended to do.
It was several more hours until Anna stirred again. Outside, the darkness had begun to recede and the rays of the false dawn were bringing light to the land; within the cavern, it was still very nearly pitch-black.
Lordi’s clawed hand brushed her golden locks gently aside form her face as she opened her eyes, still hazy with sleep, to look at him.
“Lordi?” she asked, her voice roughened by sleep.
“I am here, princess,” Lordi whispered, stroking her cheek with his claws. “Never fear.”
Anna smiled.
After a long moment that seemed to stretch on till eternity, Lordi’s claws caught her chin and raised her eyes to meet his.
”There is something I must do to you, precious,” he growled, his eyes flashing crimson. “Just… relax.”
The girl blinked, her eyes filled with confusion, but she nodded and closed her eyes.
Lordi growled again as he shifted his hold of her, bringing her to sit up straighter so he could bend her head to the side. Carefully, his claws brushed over the tender white skin before burying themselves in her hair, his grip firm to make sure she would stay still.
He closed his eyes as he leaned forward, inhaling her scent; so very pure and innocent, so very full of life. He could feel her heartbeat and hear her quickened breath as her small body trembled in his arms.
She cried out when his teeth first grazed her throat, but the sound soon became a whimper as he bit in deeper, his fangs piercing into her flesh, drawing blood.
The taste of her blood on his tongue was hot and heady, and as he pulled his head back, his tongue flickered out to dance along the marks, lapping up the sweet scarlet drops.
His actions prompted a whimper from Anna and he felt her hands tighten their grip on him, her body growing tenser by the moment as he cleaned away the blood. He ran his claws gently over her back with a low, soothing growl.
As he ran his tongue over her skin one last time, now dotted with two rows of small, red marks that would forever mark her as his, she opened her clouded eyes and looked at him.
“It is done, princess,” he growled quietly as he bent forward to softly brush his lips against her forehead, “Sleep now.”
**
The sun was already beginning its journey across the sky when Anna slowly drifted awake in the dim depths of Lordi’s chambers.
The first thing she became aware of was that she was not in her bed; in fact, she was held tightly by strong, leather-clad arms, and covered by a warm pelt, a steady breath warm against her neck.
The next thing she realized was that she was sore, all over – and the memories of the day before came rushing in.
Her eyes that had began to flutter open squeezed shut and she bit her lip. She remembered running into the woods, remembered Awa taking her to Lordi... remembered how gently her friend had cleaned the blood form her face and listened to her sob her story and then laid her into his bed to rest….
She must have fallen asleep in his arms, she thought a bit hazily. Not that she minded – being cradled like this felt so wonderful... his strength made her feel so very safe and cherished, the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek was so very comforting…. And it was probably the reason why she was hurting, she thought hazily. As magnificent as his armour was, it was also covered in metal studs and rivets… that was probably why her neck stung, too.
“Good morning, princess,” the low rumble of his voice halted her thoughts.
“Morning.” Anna’s reply was a yawn that surprised even herself; she looked up, blushing a little as her eyes met Lordi’s crimson ones.
He was looking at her, his expression inscrutable, almost unnerving in its intensity, and Anna’s smile faltered for a moment. Was something wrong?
“How are you feeling, princess?” He asked, his voice quiet.
“Sore,” Anna murmured. “But better than yesterday.”
She knew she didn’t have to say anything more; she knew he understood.
“Does your… does your throat hurt?” Lordi asked, his voice hoarse as his hand came to brush against a particularly sore spot in her neck.
The touch sent a shiver through Anna; it must’ve been because the pelt that had covered her fell off. “Not really,” she whispered. Because it didn’t. The ache was almost pleasant.
“Good,” he growled, stroking her hair with his claws.
She thought he was going to say something more, but at that moment her stomach growled very loudly, causing her to blush and him to laugh.
“Come, princess… lets get you fed.”
**
Ruusa was on her way to the barn when she spied the small form making its way towards the house.
”Miss Anna!” she exclaimed as she dashed across the yard to her, “Where have you been? Everyone’s been looking for you!”
The girl’s eyes went wide and she bit her lip; from what Ruusa could see, the girl was in no way badly off after having gone missing the day before, the bruise on her face was probably the same Saara had heard the priest inflict on her…
At the thought of the priest, Ruusa swallowed hard, bile threatening to rise in her throat. She had seen a glimpse of the man’s mutilated corpse and heard the farmhands talking... of how he’d been bitten and clawed and gutted like a pig…
“I... ran,” the girl whispered. “Into the woods. Pa.... Pastor Mullander scared me... and I didn’t want to come back until he was gone…”
“You don’t know?” Ruusa blurted out, her eyes going wide for a moment, Then she realized that there was no way the girl could know, if she had spent the night in the woods…
“Know what?”
”P... pastor Mullander was attacked last night,” Ruusa said quietly. “They found his body this morning.”
Without thought for propriety, Ruusa wrapped her arms around the girl who had started to shake. “It’s all right, miss Anna… don’t cry. He’s with God now. Let me take you in and get you something to eat…”
“O- okay,” Anna sniffed and bit her lip. “T... thank you, Ruusa.”
As she began to lead the young miss towards the house, Ruusa noticed something; a small mark on the girl’s neck, mostly hidden by her hair, but definitely visible form a close range. It was a faded red row of marks, nay, two rows; clearly a bite of some sort, and looked half-healed.
Ruusa knew it had not been there the morning before when she had helped the girl dress.
She was started out of her thoughts by the appearance of Hilda; the older woman barrelled out of the kitchen in her customary stride, paying no heed to the geese she sent scattering. “Ruusa, why aren’t you…. Holy God, you found the damned girl!”
”She was in the barn,” Ruusa said quickly, without thinking. “She was sleeping in the nook, the one where the kittens were last summer, ma’am.”
Hilda frowned. “Why, the little fool’s had us all runnin’ round for naught. Especially with what happened to the poor Pastor, she ought to be beaten black and blue!”
Ruusa started; Hilda wouldn’t dare to do that, would she? "I don’t think she knows what she did, ma'am," she said, squeezing Anna's hand. "She was just scared to come out before she fell asleep.”
Hilda regarded the girl suspiciously, and for once Ruusa felt glad that the older woman thought Anna was barely above a babe when it came to wits. “Bah, fine. Get her in and make her eat, and send her to her room.”
“Aye, Ma’am.”
Ruusa led Anna to the kitchen where she made her sit on the bench and began to quickly cobble together something for the girl to eat.
“Thank you,” Anna whispered quietly. “I know I shouldn’t go to the woods. Why didn’t you tell her?”
Ruusa hesitated. Why had she lied to Hilda? She couldn’t tell. Perhaps part of it was fear – of what Hilda might do to Anna, of what might happen if someone hurt Anna again and… offence was taken; maybe it was gratefulness still lingering from last winter when Anna had worked to help in the kitchens. She did not know.
She said as much to Anna. “But… your secret is safe with me, miss.”
“Thank you,” the girl said, looking down.
When Ruusa handed the girl the plate she’d prepared, Anna looked up with teary eyes. “What happened to Pastor Mullander?”
*’
It was later, when night had crept in and cloaked the sky, that Anna lay awake in her bed.
She had not seen the body of the priest herself, but she had heard what had happened. She knew it was because so many thought she was too slow to understand, but she wished really hard she had not heard the details.
The poor pastor’s body had been torn so badly that the only reason he had been recognized at all was because of his distinctive clothes, and the cross that had been lying next to his body. Clawed, bitten, torn to shreds in rage – the work of beast but not an animal.
Anna shivered and pulled the down covers tighter around her body.
A part of her feared that it had been one of her friends... that she was to blame for the poor man’s fate, but that couldn’t be! She’d spent the night cradled in Lordi’s arms and if he hadn’t done anything the others… the others would not have done it if he hadn’t. Because he was their leader and they wouldn’t go against him, no matter what.
She had said as much, at least to a degree, earlier. When one of the men had tried to scare Ruusa by leaning in close to her and whispering loudly how it could have been the monsters of the woods, Anna hadn’t been able to help but blurt out a denial.
When both of them had looked at her queerly, she had silently thanked God for the fact that they thought her slow; saying that since pastor Mullader had been, well, a pastor, he couldn’t have been killed by hell-spawn had made the man smile and look at Ruusa in that way Anna knew meant someone thought she was really really stupid.
Anna squirmed a little at the idea. She had not lied. After all, hell-spawn couldn’t have killed the priest; he was a man of God. But her friends were no hell-spawn….
She should not think about it, she decided, resolutely closing her eyes again. Because whatever had happened upon the poor pastor had been God’s will.
Eventually, she fell into sleep filled with troubled dreams.
**
The new priest arrived before the snows fell, but it took well into the spring until Anna could resume her lessons under the guidance of pastor Viktor Belan.
Anna waited for her in her room, anxiety filling her; she could remember the last time she had waited for her tutor and how that had ended… but she knew that pastor Belan was nothing like pastor Mullander had been… he was much younger, for one, with quick dark eyes and easy smile and Anna knew everyone liked him, herself included.
The door to her room creaked slowly open, and the pastor stepped in. “Good morning, miss Anna,” he said carefully in his accented Swedish, “How are you today?”
Anna smiled timidly as she curtsied. “Good morning, Pastor. I am fine, thank you for asking. May I ask how are you?”
the priest’s reply as one of his bright smiles that made his brown eyes twinkle. “That is good to hear, miss Anna. I am fine as well.”
He gestured towards the desk. “Sit down, and we can get started on charting how far you are in your studies.”
Anna nodded, and warily made her way to thee desk where she had arranged her slate, as well as the quills and the ink at the off chance that he might let her write on actual parchment. She sat down and looked at pastor Belan who was watching her, a strange expression on his face.
”Now, miss Anna… I don’t know how much you know, so I have to ask. Do you know your letters and numbers?”
Anna blinked. She’d known both for ages! Did he really think her so dull? She could only nod mutely.
“Good. Can you write your name?”
Again, Anna nodded.
The priest smiled. “Good. Write it down now.”
Anna nodded silently. For a moment she wanted to reach for thee quills and parchment, just to show him, but instead she picked up the piece of chalk and quickly wrote her name on the slate.
Belan made his way to her, leaning over the desk to look, his eyes growing wide. “Very good, Anna.”
Anna smiled. Awa had praised her hand in writing more than once; not even the sorceress had a finer hand than she did!
Apparently the priest had taken note of her skill, too; the tone of his questions changed and he began quizzing her in earnest; like a proper student and not a dullard.
It took a while but eventually he seemed to be satisfied, he made his way to the window. Looking out to the yard with his hands clasped behind his back for a long moment before he turned back to her.
”Well,” he said as he took a step away from the window, “I would say…”
What he said was a string of curse words in French, as he stumbled onto the cat that had wandered into the sunny spot while his back had been turned.
Anna gasped, her cheeks flushing at the sheer crudity of his curses and stood abruptly, running to rescue the cat before he would kick it; the cat looked indignant at her manhandling of him, but purred as he was clutched against Anna’s chest.
”Please don’t hurt him, sir!” she begged, her eyes going wide. “He didn’t mean to get in your way!”
The expression on the priest’s face was not that of anger but Anna was still scared and took a step back, clutching the cat tighter against her chest. The tom meowed in protest, squirming nearly hard enough to escape her grasp.
“You speak French?” the priest asked, frowning.
Anna began to shake. He was angry with her, she was not supposed to speak French, he was going to…
As if sensing her fear, the priest raised a hand, his expression gentling. “Anna, please answer me,” he said softly, tilting his head to the side. “I am not angry. And please, let go of the cat before you strangle him, I promise to not to harm him.”
Anna flushed as she realized just how tightly she was holding the cat and immediately let him go; the tom landed on the floor gracefully, giving her another indignant look before he went to Belan and began rubbing his face against the priest’s leg.
Belan crouched, his eyes not leaving Anna’s face as his hand found the tom’s ears and rubbed them. “Anna, please, talk to me. Did I frighten you?”
Anna nodded, unable to speak. The cat had begun to purr, and it made her feel a little better. Cats didn’t purr at bad people.
“What was it?” The pastor’s voice was still soft. “Not just the cat?”
Anna nodded, biting her lip again. “I thought you... I thought you would be mad if you knew I spoke French.”
The priest frowned, but it was not an angry expression; his confusion was nearly palpable. “What would make you think so? You are such a bright girl. Did pastor Mullander think it too frivolous?”
At the mention of the priest, Anna froze again; the memory of the man’s fury rose again in her mind and she whimpered, a deep shiver going through her body.
Belan was at her side in an instant, his arms wrapping around her small body in a tight embrace. Anna couldn’t speak, couldn’t help the tears in her eyes as she was held against him, his hand brushing her hair as he murmured soothing words.
She couldn’t help but wish that the arms around her were stronger, that the hand stroking her hair had claws, that she’d be hearing the steady heartbeat of her friend under her cheek and the near-growl of his soothing words… but the priest was warm and solid, and eventually, when he let go of her, she smiled tentatively.
”Now, Anna,” he whispered. “Do you think you can tell me what made you so frightened of… someone dead and gone who will never again be able to hurt you?”
**
Viktor fought hard to suppress a shudder of disgust as Anna finished her story of what had happened the last time she had seen his predecessor alive. It was of utmost importance he present a calming front to her, lest she go into hysterics again… and he had no desire to see the girl so distraught.
“He is dead now, Anna,” he said quietly. “Fear him no longer. And please,” he added, his voice even softer, “Do not fear me just because I am your tutor now.”
The girl nodded hesitantly. “I... I will try,” she said, sniffling a little. “And I’m... I’m not afraid of you, pastor Belan.”
Viktor smiled at her. “I am glad you are not afraid of me, Anna…. And please,” he added as the thought struck him, “Do call me Viktor during these lessons. Do you think you are able to continue or should I go and leave you to rest?”
Anna was willing to continue, and after a brief pause as she cleaned her tear-stained face, they did so. Viktor was rather amazed at the eclectic mix of knowledge the girl seemed to possess, including French and a smattering of Italian but no Latin or Greek.
By the time he left he still did not know just who it was that had tutored Anna; he knew that the bastard who had preceded him could not have taught her, and as bright as Anna was, one could not pick up the pronunciation of a language such as French just from books.
Not that it really mattered, he thought as he made his way to the stables where his bay mare awaited. She would be comfortable enough to tell him in time.
The thoughts of his predecessor troubled him as he took on the road; he had heard many a rumour but had been disinclined to believe until now, until Anna spoke so heartfelt of what had happened. It was such a minor thing – many tutors struck their students, after all, not that Viktor had ever done such a thing – but the fact that the girl had obviously seen something she shouldn’t have, something Mullander should have not been doing at all…
Viktor shuddered. His mare seemed to sense his agitation and raised her head, ears perking. He smiled and leaned down to pat the horse’s neck. “It’s all right, girl,” he murmured. “Just keep going.”
But for the long hours his journey home took, his thoughts kept returning to a very bright young girl…
**
Lordi could hear Anna’s excited chattering well before she and Awa entered the clearing; he frowned, anger slowly starting to build inside him.
His princess was talking about her tutor again.
Lordi knew he should not have been angered; he should have been happy that Anna was so joyous about her studies now, looking forward to the visits from the priest rather than dreading them like before. After all, the new pastor was a young man, kind and gentle who had won her over from her very first lesson with him…
Lordi growled, baring his teeth. He did not trust this priest the least.
When Anna came into sight and immediately cried out his name, Lordi buried his anger by sheer force of will and smiled at her, swooping her up into his arms as she ran to him.
”I missed you!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder.
“I missed you too, princess,” Lordi growled, stroking her hair with his free hand; the other was wrapped around her tiny waist, holding her up against him. Even though she was no longer a little girl, she was still as light as a feather to him and would always remain so.
For a long moment he only held her silently while she watched him with contented blue eyes; until she finally spoke.
”Will you tell me a story?” she asked, smiling.
Lordi found himself answering his simile. “Of course. Princess. What kind of a story?”
”One with a princess and monsters!” She exclaimed, looking at him as if he’d grown a second head; she never did ask for any other kind of a story.
”Very well, Anna,” he purred as he began to make his way to a better spot where he could sit down and pull her properly into his lap.
“Viktor only tells me f... fables,” she stumbled over the word. “He likes Aesop and La Fontaine. But I like your stories better.”
Again, anger rose in Lordi: the priest had gotten overtly familiar with his Anna! But he was also pleased, greatly so, by her preference for his tales.
“Once upon a time…” he began the familiar routine, his claws unconsciously stroking Anna’s golden hair as he began to tell her the story of a beautiful young princess who found herself lost in the dark woods… a story that enthralled Anna till he very last words.
“And as the prince’s façade melted away to reveal the beast of the woods, the princess cried out in joy and embraced him; from thereon, they would live happily ever after.”
Anna giggled and squirmed, sitting up straight form where she had rested against his shoulder.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “You tell it the right way!”
“The right way?” Lordi raised an eyebrow at her words.
Anna nodded. “Yup. When I asked Viktor to tell me a story with a princess and a monster she told it all wrong! The princess kissed the beast and he turned into a prince.” She wrinkled her nose.
Lordi laughed; both at her expression but also to mask the anger that had flared at the mention of the priest’s name. “He did, did he?”
”Yup.” Anna nodded solemnly. “I did tell him he was telling it all wrong, but he just laughed.” She wrinkled her nose again; “He’s so silly for someone so smart.”
“That he is,” he growled as he pulled her closer, masking his anger carefully.
“He’s nice, though;” Anna said as she snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. “I like him a lot.”
Lordi growled.
**
Ruusa could not help but look up from her task of shelling peas at the shade and stare at the priest who was mounting his horse at the courtyard; Pastor Belan was easy on the eyes and so very kind to everyone that Ruusa couldn’t help but be just a bit sweet on him – just like every other woman in the parish, no doubt.
For a moment she felt a brief stab of envy towards the young miss, who got to spend several hours alone with the pastor every time the man came to tutor her; Ruusa shook her head, driving the notion away.
Young miss Anna was barely thirteen, for God’s sake! She had barely began to get any sort of womanly shape and pastor Belan was not the sort of a man who would take advantage of a young girl’s infatuation, not in a million years!
Not that Anna was infatuated with him, Ruusa reminded herself. Ever since the last fall, she had befriended the girl and although she knew naught of what exactly it was that the young miss was up to most of the time, she knew enough. There had been no sighs of longing or doe-eyes made at the priest, no wistfulness at all in the way Anna acted when the priest was away.
Well, maybe a little, Ruusa amended as she continued with her task. Anna was so very eager for books and learning, that she often wished she could get her lessons more often, and in the meantime practised her Latin so very diligently that Ruusa had ended up taking away her book a few times, to keep the girl from studying well into the night.
Ruusa wondered if the priest knew of Anna’s trips into the woods; those, she knew, Anna made as often as she could, and they were the only thing Anna ever neglected her studies for. Ruusa had toyed with the idea of following her more than once, but she knew it would mean a fate worse than death in the hands of the Lord of the Woods…
Ruusa shivered. Her grandmother had told her plenty of tales form the old days, of the beasts that made the forest their home… beasts far worse than any wild animal.
She knew that when pastor Mullander had died, they had said it was wolves. But wolves did not possess such brutal rage as the man had been subjected to… someone, or something, had found cause to utterly destroy the priest…
Ruusa knew it was wicked of her to think so, but the man had deserved it! He’d hurt her sister, and she knew there had been others… but a priest was the most respected man in any community and above such things… so they had suffered in silence. Then, he had met his end…
Because he had struck a little girl.
Ruusa shivered again and picked up her basket; she wanted to get into the sun, out of the shade. She knew that what she should have done was to tell pastor Belan, to tell him of the beast-bite on the girl, of those trips in the woods… it bore all the signs of witchcraft and devilry.
But she knew she would not. Because Anna was not wicked. She could remember the look in the girl’s eyes as she told her that the pastor was dead; no wicked being could have mimicked that look of horror. She could not have known of the man’s fate and couldn’t have sent the beasts after him… she had denied that any hell spawn could hurt a priest, even!
But Lord of the Woods was no hell spawn.
Again, Ruusa shuddered; angrily, she popped the peapod in her hand and began to work twice as hard as before. She would be better off not thinking about this!
**
Despite the sun, the air was unusually chilly for such a high summer’s day, and Viktor found himself spurring his horse forward. There was something in the air, some strange, sinister feeling that he did not like at all.
His hand clutched the cross he wore around his neck and he muttered a brief prayer; he knew from what he had been told that he was on the same stretch of road that his predecessor’s body had been found on.
Viktor had been born and raised in a small hut no more than an hour’s ride from where his horse now halted, rearing and neighing in fright; he knew all the stories of what lurked in the woods but right now his main concern was to calm his horse and therefore he would not think of just what might be coming upon him.
He didn’t succeed and fell to the ground, air escaping his lungs as his mare reared for one last time, taking off in a frightened gallop. He could tell he couldn’t have hung on anyway…
The jumbled train of his thoughts halted as he caught sight of just what had frightened his gentle mare into bolting – or who, more like it.
The creature that stood less than ten yards from Viktor’s prostrate position was monstrous, no other word for it. Horns on its head, wings on its back, with red eyes that shone like hellfire and fangs that looked razor-sharp as the creature growled. Clad in strange, barbaric armor and holding a double-headed axe, there was no mistaking of just what Viktor was facing.
He bit his lip to suppress the instinctive Lord protect me as he scrambled on his feet; it was probably the worst thing he could say at the moment.
“What do you want with me,” he croaked instead, “Lord of the Woods?”
The Lord of the Woods growled and stalked forward without words; Viktor swallowed hard, standing his ground. Whatever would come, would come and he would face it with all the strength and determination he could muster.
The creature growled, tossing its... nay, his head. “What do you think I want?”
Viktor swallowed again. “I don’t know,” he said, proud of the fact that his voice did not shake. “What have I done that has raised your ire so?”
The answer came in that same bone-chilling, low growl. “The girl.”
Viktor did not have to ask what girl? – There was only one girl the Lord of the Woods could have meant.
“Anna.” He whispered her name quietly.
”The last one died for touching her,” the beast growled, taking a step forwards.
“Mullander?” Viktor asked, although he knew the answer. “He deserved it.”
He could sense hesitation in the creature, and knew his one chance in making sure he came out of this alive was here. “For everything he did. For... touching what you had claimed.”
Viktor knew he was treading on thin ice, he could not know if the Lord had indeed claimed Anna… but he could see the red marks on the girl’s neck clear as day in his mind’s eye, the little dots he thought had been a peculiar birthmark rather than what he now realized them to be.
“And yet you dare,” the creature growled, taking another step close; he was barely three yards from Viktor now, towering over the slight priest.
“Dare what, Lord?” Viktor asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I have only…”
The backhand that hit his face came out of nowhere and Viktor stumbled, going down on one knee.
“You have dared to lay your hands on her!” the beast growled, nay, roared.
“She’s a child in need of comfort!” Viktor groaned, tasting blood in his mouth. “I am not… I would never... she’s just a little girl!”
The implication of the beast’s words made Viktor feel sick in his stomach; did the Lord of the Woods truly think of him capable of such depravity? He was… he knew he was not right, but he was not something like that!
He looked up, his eyes wide. “I swear to God I would never, ever do that,” he choked. “She is… she is yours.”
Some part of him wondered just how monstrous the Lord of the Woods was, but those thoughts were quickly abolished – it was not out of sheer jealousy that he was being confronted; the beast was protective of Anna, more than anything.
The fact that Viktor had told him that Anna was his seemed to calm the Lord slightly, but not much. “She is a child now,” he growled, the implication clear in his voice.
Viktor swallowed hard. Would he have to reveal his shameful secret to gain enough ground with the creature to prevent his death, to be allowed to guide the bright young mind that he had grown to love like a sister in such a short time?
“I became a priest for a reason,” he whispered hoarsely. “I do not prefer the company of women.”
**
Lordi was taken aback by the priest’s bluntness at admitting to being a sodomite. This was not something he had expected, especially not since this was a clergyman.
The angers that had began to dissipate at the priest’s acknowledgement that Anna was his slowly ebbed away completely as Lordi regarded him with eyes no longer clouded with fury.
The priest had straightened up and was now looking him in the eye, his expression that of resolve; Lordi could tell, from the speed of his heartbeat and the shallowness of his breath, that the man was still frightened – but he was not letting his fear rule him.
Perhaps… perhaps he might let the priest live.
“And how do I know you tell me the truth?” he growled.
The priest bit his lip, but his heartbeat did not quicken any further; it was one of the telltale signs of honesty that Lordi was an expert at reading.
“Because no one can lie to the Lord of the Woods,” the man said matter-of-factly, licking his lips. “I learned that from my grandmother.”
Lordi laughed. “That is true, priest.”
The moment of silence that passed was but a few heartbeats, but Lordi knew that to the priest it had to feel like an eternity. Eventually, he spoke again. “You will live, priest. But know that if Anna ever comes to harm from you..”
”I will die. I understand.“ the man nodded.
“Anna would miss you,” Lordi admitted grudgingly, if without anger. “So see that it won’t come to that.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
With that, Lordi turned away from him and stalked into the woods, becoming one with the shadows. He did not wish to risk his anger rising again, now that he had decided that the priest would live... for the time being.
**
Viktor stared at the trees, where the Lord of the Woods had disappeared; a deep shiver went through his spine as he realized that he had survived the encounter.
Breath escaped his lungs in a sigh of relief and his knees nearly gave way as the terror that had gripped his spine slowly ebbed away.
He had encountered the Lord of the Woods, and survived to tell the tale.
No, not just that, he realized, guilt welling up as his hand came to clutch the cross around his neck. He had specifically aroused the ire of the creature, and he had lived. Not that he had ever had any intention of causing offense but… he had still survived something he shouldn’t have.
Relief threatened to bubble out with hysterical laughter but Viktor bit his lip; he shouldn’t, for he couldn’t tell if the creature still lurked, and would regret his decision if disrespect was shown...
Besides, he was going to need all his strength for the long walk that awaited him now that Silvia had bolted.
He gave his clothes one last brush as he began to trek along the road; he was hoping that he might run into his horse before too long, but his hopes were not very high.
That was shy the fact that Silvia was waiting for him just around the bend was quite surprising.
However, majority of Viktor’s surprise came from the fact that rather than grazing, Silvia was being fed some sort of a treat by a creature that, even thought it bore no resemblance to the Lord of the Woods, was clearly monstrous.
”I do hope you don’t intend to eat her,” Viktor blurted out before he could prevent it, “Because she is a fine horse.”
The creature tilted its horned head, the green eyes meeting Viktor’s across the road. “Not likely,” it snorted as it stroked Silvia’s long neck.
“Good, then,” Viktor said cheerfully as he began to walk to wards his steed again. “Might I ask what you were intending to do?”
A part of him was screaming for him to be terrified by this monster, but Viktor knew that it would be futile – the Lord of the Woods had not slain him, and had said that Anna would be disappointed if he died... so how likely would it be that any of his minions would harm him?
The creature tilted its head, the slowly returning sunlight glinting off the ring of metal piercing its… his nose. “Take care of her, till they found your corpse. But you aren’t dead.”
“I like to think so, yes,” Viktor said.
“Why did Lordi let you go?”
Viktor shrugged, his mouth going dry; he did not know quite what to say. “He deemed me… someone who would never hurt Anna or interfere with his claim:”
He resolved to not think about what such a claim might entail.
“Unexpected... but good.” The monster snorted again. “She would be sad if you were to die, I think. And none of us want to see her so.”
At that moment, Viktor became aware of small things; of the sound of hissing sand, the smell of dead roses, the unmistakable knowledge that one was being observed by a predator, and nodded solemnly.
“I hope I will never give reason for her to be sad,” he said quietly. “Now… still have a long journey ahead., so might I get my horse back?”
Without words, the creature stepped back. Viktor nodded his thanks and went to Silvia, who tilted her head towards him and whickered gently.
“I’m afraid I have no treats for you, girl,” he said quietly. “But when we get home, we’ll have to see about that.”
When he turned to thank the creature again, he faced only thin air... and hoof prints on the ground.
**
Previous Part / Next part
The days passed; Yule came and went, the winter’s back was broken and the days of spring eventually arrived. The days grew long and the summer came, but eventually the cold winds returned and the leaves turned red and gold again.
It was a bright, crisp autumn day when Anna was walking through the woods, chattering excitedly to Kita. The beast’s replies were noncommittal grunts but she knew quite well that he was listening, and definitely would not be forgetting anything she said.
All of a sudden, Kita halted. “Cub,” he growled, “Get into a tree. Now.”
Anna’s eyes grew wide; she knew Kita wouldn’t have said that if he hadn’t been really serious. She nodded affirmatively and looked around, her eyes settling on a big heavy fir. She dashed over, pulling her skirts up as she clambered up the tree, not stopping until she was a good ten feet off the ground.
Just in time – because as soon as she looked at where Kita stood, a huge bull moose emerged through the junipers, rearing at the ground and charging straight towards Kita.
Anna’s eyes widened and she bit her lip to stifle a shriek as she clung tighter to the tree. The bull was enormous, its head easily high enough to reach her if the animal would come to her; the antlers on his head were huge and many-pronged, and stained with Anna thought might have been blood.
Kita roared, standing up from his usual crouch as the bull barrelled on; his muscles bunched and he leaped at the bull, meeting its rush.
Anna did cry out as the bull tumbled down, as did Kita; despite her vantage point, she could not see what was going on, couldn’t see if Kita had been hurt…
She didn’t think as she quickly climbed down, dropping the last few feet as she dashed to where the moose had gone down. She pushed through the junipers, her heart in her throat, worry filling her as she saw the moose on the ground, its enormous body twisted and still. .
”Kita?” her voice faltered; had he...? “A- are you all right?”
”Yes, you stupid cub, I am!” the growl came but a heartbeat later, and the moose’s side heaved. “Why the hell are you not up that tree?”
Relief flooded over Anna. “You’re all right!”
”I said I am, cub!” Kita grunted as he clambered up, yanking the edge of his ragged bearskin cloak from beneath the bull’s body. “But you didn’t answer me.”
Anna flushed. “I... I thought you were hurt!” she blurted out.
“No moose is going to bring me down, cub,” Kita growled. “Next time you stay up the bloody tree.”
Anna nodded, biting her lip. “I will, Kita. I’m sorry for not doing like you said.”
“Good. Now come, shouldn’t waste this.“
**
Kita buried his teeth in the moose’s throat, tearing into the hot flesh. Blood splattered his face, but it did not gush forth like it would have had the animal not been already dead.
Anna was a few feet away, pulling her skirts back to keep the blood from hitting her.
”It’s dead, cub,” he grunted as he swallowed the bloody meat, “The blood’s not bad.”
”Wh.... Why did it do that?” Anna asked him. “I mean, why did it attack you`”
He snorted as he bit into the carcass again. “Rut.”
“What’s that?”
The genuine curiosity in Anna’s voice made Kita pause and tilt his head to look at her. “Rut. You don’t know?”
The girl shook her head. “Nu-uh. What’s a rut?”
”’s when the moose mate,” Kita said matter-of-factly. “Happens every year.”
Again, Anna frowned. “When moose do what?”
Kita blinked. Just how clueless was the cub? Didn’t those foolish humans teach their young even the bare bones of life?”
“Mate. That’s when the bull mounts the cow,” Kita said. “‘S the way young are made. The bull mounts the cow, the tom mounts the queen… then it grows heavy with the young and will birth after time passes, the cow to a calf, the queen to kittens.”
For a moment, Kita thought of the small creatures and how delicious they could be; he’d given up on them, though, when the cub had been so happy to play with the food…
“What about humans?” Anna asked curiously. “Are babies made that way, too?”
Kita nodded affirmatively. “Yes. But humans don’t have a rut; humans mate around the year.”
Anna’s eyes grew wide. “Is that why babies are born every month but calves only in the spring?”
“Yes. Done with questions?” Kita snorted. “Good.”
He took another bite from the moose’s neck before he looked at Anna; the cub had grown another inch or two in the past year, and was looking good and strong. “Hmm... I suppose you’re grown enough”
Her confusion was plain for him to see as his claws tore into the moose’s side, slicing through the skin and extracting a good chunk of meat.
“Here,” he held it out for the girl to take. “Feed.”
**
The wind was cold and the trees bare when things changed.
She was waiting for Pastor Mullander, eager to start her lessons. But he was nowhere to be seen, despite the fact that she had seen him come to the yard… and his horse was unmistakable, a bony brown gelding as bad-tempered as his master.
Anna knew she should just stay and wait, but she had already checked over her lines twice now, and she really did wonder why the priest was stalling. Feeling a little guilty, she got out of her chair and made her way to the door, opening it quietly.
The corridor was empty, but she could hear noise; it seemed to be coming from one of the unused rooms along the corridor. The door to the room was ajar and Anna peeked in…
Her eyes grew wide and she gasped at the sight of the priest and one of the servant girls – Saara, she realized. Even to her there was no mistaking what was going on.
Anna felt her cheeks flush and backed away quickly, running back to her room and slamming the door shut behind her. She was not meant to see that! Not that she had seen much; if she had not been told by Kita what mating was, she wouldn’t have known what they were doing but still... she should have just stayed in her room!
The door banged open, startling Anna.
The priest barged in, his reddened face twisted in an expression of fury. “You fool of a girl!” he snarled, raising his hand.
Before Anna could react, the priest backhanded her.
”Don’t you dare to ever tell a soul what you saw, you little whore,” the priest continued, “Or else…”
Anna could only nod in shock, her ears ringing, tasting blood on her lips.
“Good,” the priest sneered, raising his hand again; Anna shied away. “If you will, I’ll beat you black and blue and have you in the stocks for a month!”
Anna watched mutely as the man spun on his heel and left, slamming the door after him. She felt numb, not even feeling the blood that has started to steadily drip from her nose or the bruise that had began to form on her cheek.
How could he have done that?
Anna couldn’t think; she was still in shock at the priest’s fury, the pain starting to slowly seep through. She didn’t think as she stumbled out of the room, down the stairs, out of the door to the yard and to the path that led into the woods.
**
As she slowly glided over the leaf-covered ground, Awa could tell something was wrong. She could feel it, a taste of something terrible to come in the air; it was in the way the wind cut into her and the trees groaned; something horrible would happen.
Awa smiled.
When her cat-eyes spied the small form upon the path, her smile vanished and she felt dread:
In what would have been a heartbeat, had her heart not been a blackened husk, she made her way to the girl who was stumbling along the path, her face smeared with blood and tears.
“Oh, precious,” Awa breathed, kneeling to wrap her arms around Anna’s body as the child gratefully collapsed into the embrace, sobbing quietly, “What happened? Who did this to you?”
The trees groaned with fury, and Awa knew why, the fury of her liege Lordi had been awakened; there would be hell to pay now that which was his had been harmed.
‘
”Come, child, “ she whispered gently, lifting Anna into her arms with preternatural grace, “I will take you to him.”
The wind rushed past, cold and unforgiving as Awa sped through the swiftly darkening woods; Anna did not even try to speak, just clung to the sorceress, her arms wrapped tightly around Awa’s neck.
Awa knew she had to bring the girl to her liege; Lordi would wish to deal with whatever had hurt Anna himself. Even though the desire for retribution had begun to boil beneath Awa’s skin, she knew that there was no question of what was the right thing to do.
She reached the edge of the clearing just in time to see Lordi emerge from the caverns, a feral scowl on his face and his wings outstretched, her liege was out for blood.
Anna shifted in the sorceress’ arms, her eyes fluttering open; the bleariness receded as she saw Lordi and when the strong arms relieved Awa of her burden, her little hands reached out to her friend.
**
When Anna finally fell into exhausted sleep upon the furs of his bed, Lordi let his anger rise to the fore. He stood up, his eyes flaring crimson in the darkness.
The priest would pay.
He would pay for daring to lay a hand on Anna, for daring to hurt her, for marking what was his – the memory of the bruise brought forth a snarl from him.
Oh yes, the priest would pay.
He stalked out of the caverns, spreading his wings as he reached outside. He saw Awa hovering at the edge of the clearing, her anxiousness clear.
”Go to her,” he snarled.
The dark glee of the hunt flowed over him as he stalked forth, stoking his wrath further.
Somewhere in the darkness, a wolf howled in fright.
**
Swearing under his breath, Jan Mullander spurred his horse on. He could hear the howls in the darkness and cursed his foolishness for deciding to head back home rather than to spend the night. But if that little whore had not riled him up and then disappeared, alarming half of the household…
When his horse reared, he swore again. His heels dug into the animal’s sides to no avail, he was thrown off, impacting with the ground heavily.
He uttered another oath as he looked up: the horse had taken off, and he could not even see it any longer, there was something on the road…
The clouds parted, revealing the full moon and the creature that had frightened his horse.
Mullander froze; his heart sped up like that of a racing hare and his mouth went dry with sheer fright at the sight before him; a beast, taller than any man, with leathery wings spread out to block the stars and eyes that glistened red like heartblood.
”Stay back, devil!” he cried out as he scrambled up. “God is on my side.”
The beast laughed. The sound chilled him to the bone, as did the sight of sharp, gleaming teeth.
”I am no devil, fool!” the demon growled, “And your god won’t save you now.”
The priest took a step back, brandishing his cross with sweaty hands. “God will protect me, foul fiend!”
But even as he spoke, terror and doubt quickly took hold of him.
“You struck against me and mine,” the beast snarled, as if not having heard his words, “And for that you will die.”
Mullander faltered, his hold of his cross slipping, as doubt rose in his mind. What could have he done to raise the ire of this creature?
Then it hit him. “The little whore!” she spat out, the anger overwhelming his fear for a moment. “The witch!”
The beast growled, and terror struck through the priest a moment before the beast’s hand did, the sharp claws tearing into his cheek as he was struck down.
”What you did spawned your fate,” the beast growled. “Now... you will burn.”
**
Hot blood still clung to his claws as he stepped into his chamber and strode over to where Anna lay peacefully, curled up and looking so very fragile and small.
Even in the near darkness, the bruise on her cheek was clear and it sent another wave of anger through Lordi, no matter how futile; the man who had done this to his precious little Anna was beyond his retribution now... sent there by his claws not much earlier.
The girl shifted on the furs, raising her head blearily. “… Lordi?”
Instantly, his anger receded and he strode to her, kneeling next to the furs as he reached out o pull her into his arms. “I am here, precious,” he growled. “Sleep… you need the rest, my princess.”
For a short moment his mind drifted into more pleasant times, a summer’s day when the curious girl-child in his arms had demanded yet another story…. And what she had asked.
“Am I your princess?”
And his reply.
“Yes, Anna... you are my princess.”
She was his. He growled quietly as he pulled her tighter against his chest. Nothing would ever change that. He would never let her go.
Even in her sleep, Anna squirmed to get closer to him and he accommodated her, her cheek coming to rest against his shoulder as he pulled up a bear pelt to wrap around her small shoulders to keep the chill in the air from seeping to her.
For a very long time he simply sat there, cradling the girl in his arms. His eyes were closed and he listened to her even breathing, as he contemplated what he intended to do.
It was several more hours until Anna stirred again. Outside, the darkness had begun to recede and the rays of the false dawn were bringing light to the land; within the cavern, it was still very nearly pitch-black.
Lordi’s clawed hand brushed her golden locks gently aside form her face as she opened her eyes, still hazy with sleep, to look at him.
“Lordi?” she asked, her voice roughened by sleep.
“I am here, princess,” Lordi whispered, stroking her cheek with his claws. “Never fear.”
Anna smiled.
After a long moment that seemed to stretch on till eternity, Lordi’s claws caught her chin and raised her eyes to meet his.
”There is something I must do to you, precious,” he growled, his eyes flashing crimson. “Just… relax.”
The girl blinked, her eyes filled with confusion, but she nodded and closed her eyes.
Lordi growled again as he shifted his hold of her, bringing her to sit up straighter so he could bend her head to the side. Carefully, his claws brushed over the tender white skin before burying themselves in her hair, his grip firm to make sure she would stay still.
He closed his eyes as he leaned forward, inhaling her scent; so very pure and innocent, so very full of life. He could feel her heartbeat and hear her quickened breath as her small body trembled in his arms.
She cried out when his teeth first grazed her throat, but the sound soon became a whimper as he bit in deeper, his fangs piercing into her flesh, drawing blood.
The taste of her blood on his tongue was hot and heady, and as he pulled his head back, his tongue flickered out to dance along the marks, lapping up the sweet scarlet drops.
His actions prompted a whimper from Anna and he felt her hands tighten their grip on him, her body growing tenser by the moment as he cleaned away the blood. He ran his claws gently over her back with a low, soothing growl.
As he ran his tongue over her skin one last time, now dotted with two rows of small, red marks that would forever mark her as his, she opened her clouded eyes and looked at him.
“It is done, princess,” he growled quietly as he bent forward to softly brush his lips against her forehead, “Sleep now.”
**
The sun was already beginning its journey across the sky when Anna slowly drifted awake in the dim depths of Lordi’s chambers.
The first thing she became aware of was that she was not in her bed; in fact, she was held tightly by strong, leather-clad arms, and covered by a warm pelt, a steady breath warm against her neck.
The next thing she realized was that she was sore, all over – and the memories of the day before came rushing in.
Her eyes that had began to flutter open squeezed shut and she bit her lip. She remembered running into the woods, remembered Awa taking her to Lordi... remembered how gently her friend had cleaned the blood form her face and listened to her sob her story and then laid her into his bed to rest….
She must have fallen asleep in his arms, she thought a bit hazily. Not that she minded – being cradled like this felt so wonderful... his strength made her feel so very safe and cherished, the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek was so very comforting…. And it was probably the reason why she was hurting, she thought hazily. As magnificent as his armour was, it was also covered in metal studs and rivets… that was probably why her neck stung, too.
“Good morning, princess,” the low rumble of his voice halted her thoughts.
“Morning.” Anna’s reply was a yawn that surprised even herself; she looked up, blushing a little as her eyes met Lordi’s crimson ones.
He was looking at her, his expression inscrutable, almost unnerving in its intensity, and Anna’s smile faltered for a moment. Was something wrong?
“How are you feeling, princess?” He asked, his voice quiet.
“Sore,” Anna murmured. “But better than yesterday.”
She knew she didn’t have to say anything more; she knew he understood.
“Does your… does your throat hurt?” Lordi asked, his voice hoarse as his hand came to brush against a particularly sore spot in her neck.
The touch sent a shiver through Anna; it must’ve been because the pelt that had covered her fell off. “Not really,” she whispered. Because it didn’t. The ache was almost pleasant.
“Good,” he growled, stroking her hair with his claws.
She thought he was going to say something more, but at that moment her stomach growled very loudly, causing her to blush and him to laugh.
“Come, princess… lets get you fed.”
**
Ruusa was on her way to the barn when she spied the small form making its way towards the house.
”Miss Anna!” she exclaimed as she dashed across the yard to her, “Where have you been? Everyone’s been looking for you!”
The girl’s eyes went wide and she bit her lip; from what Ruusa could see, the girl was in no way badly off after having gone missing the day before, the bruise on her face was probably the same Saara had heard the priest inflict on her…
At the thought of the priest, Ruusa swallowed hard, bile threatening to rise in her throat. She had seen a glimpse of the man’s mutilated corpse and heard the farmhands talking... of how he’d been bitten and clawed and gutted like a pig…
“I... ran,” the girl whispered. “Into the woods. Pa.... Pastor Mullander scared me... and I didn’t want to come back until he was gone…”
“You don’t know?” Ruusa blurted out, her eyes going wide for a moment, Then she realized that there was no way the girl could know, if she had spent the night in the woods…
“Know what?”
”P... pastor Mullander was attacked last night,” Ruusa said quietly. “They found his body this morning.”
Without thought for propriety, Ruusa wrapped her arms around the girl who had started to shake. “It’s all right, miss Anna… don’t cry. He’s with God now. Let me take you in and get you something to eat…”
“O- okay,” Anna sniffed and bit her lip. “T... thank you, Ruusa.”
As she began to lead the young miss towards the house, Ruusa noticed something; a small mark on the girl’s neck, mostly hidden by her hair, but definitely visible form a close range. It was a faded red row of marks, nay, two rows; clearly a bite of some sort, and looked half-healed.
Ruusa knew it had not been there the morning before when she had helped the girl dress.
She was started out of her thoughts by the appearance of Hilda; the older woman barrelled out of the kitchen in her customary stride, paying no heed to the geese she sent scattering. “Ruusa, why aren’t you…. Holy God, you found the damned girl!”
”She was in the barn,” Ruusa said quickly, without thinking. “She was sleeping in the nook, the one where the kittens were last summer, ma’am.”
Hilda frowned. “Why, the little fool’s had us all runnin’ round for naught. Especially with what happened to the poor Pastor, she ought to be beaten black and blue!”
Ruusa started; Hilda wouldn’t dare to do that, would she? "I don’t think she knows what she did, ma'am," she said, squeezing Anna's hand. "She was just scared to come out before she fell asleep.”
Hilda regarded the girl suspiciously, and for once Ruusa felt glad that the older woman thought Anna was barely above a babe when it came to wits. “Bah, fine. Get her in and make her eat, and send her to her room.”
“Aye, Ma’am.”
Ruusa led Anna to the kitchen where she made her sit on the bench and began to quickly cobble together something for the girl to eat.
“Thank you,” Anna whispered quietly. “I know I shouldn’t go to the woods. Why didn’t you tell her?”
Ruusa hesitated. Why had she lied to Hilda? She couldn’t tell. Perhaps part of it was fear – of what Hilda might do to Anna, of what might happen if someone hurt Anna again and… offence was taken; maybe it was gratefulness still lingering from last winter when Anna had worked to help in the kitchens. She did not know.
She said as much to Anna. “But… your secret is safe with me, miss.”
“Thank you,” the girl said, looking down.
When Ruusa handed the girl the plate she’d prepared, Anna looked up with teary eyes. “What happened to Pastor Mullander?”
*’
It was later, when night had crept in and cloaked the sky, that Anna lay awake in her bed.
She had not seen the body of the priest herself, but she had heard what had happened. She knew it was because so many thought she was too slow to understand, but she wished really hard she had not heard the details.
The poor pastor’s body had been torn so badly that the only reason he had been recognized at all was because of his distinctive clothes, and the cross that had been lying next to his body. Clawed, bitten, torn to shreds in rage – the work of beast but not an animal.
Anna shivered and pulled the down covers tighter around her body.
A part of her feared that it had been one of her friends... that she was to blame for the poor man’s fate, but that couldn’t be! She’d spent the night cradled in Lordi’s arms and if he hadn’t done anything the others… the others would not have done it if he hadn’t. Because he was their leader and they wouldn’t go against him, no matter what.
She had said as much, at least to a degree, earlier. When one of the men had tried to scare Ruusa by leaning in close to her and whispering loudly how it could have been the monsters of the woods, Anna hadn’t been able to help but blurt out a denial.
When both of them had looked at her queerly, she had silently thanked God for the fact that they thought her slow; saying that since pastor Mullader had been, well, a pastor, he couldn’t have been killed by hell-spawn had made the man smile and look at Ruusa in that way Anna knew meant someone thought she was really really stupid.
Anna squirmed a little at the idea. She had not lied. After all, hell-spawn couldn’t have killed the priest; he was a man of God. But her friends were no hell-spawn….
She should not think about it, she decided, resolutely closing her eyes again. Because whatever had happened upon the poor pastor had been God’s will.
Eventually, she fell into sleep filled with troubled dreams.
**
The new priest arrived before the snows fell, but it took well into the spring until Anna could resume her lessons under the guidance of pastor Viktor Belan.
Anna waited for her in her room, anxiety filling her; she could remember the last time she had waited for her tutor and how that had ended… but she knew that pastor Belan was nothing like pastor Mullander had been… he was much younger, for one, with quick dark eyes and easy smile and Anna knew everyone liked him, herself included.
The door to her room creaked slowly open, and the pastor stepped in. “Good morning, miss Anna,” he said carefully in his accented Swedish, “How are you today?”
Anna smiled timidly as she curtsied. “Good morning, Pastor. I am fine, thank you for asking. May I ask how are you?”
the priest’s reply as one of his bright smiles that made his brown eyes twinkle. “That is good to hear, miss Anna. I am fine as well.”
He gestured towards the desk. “Sit down, and we can get started on charting how far you are in your studies.”
Anna nodded, and warily made her way to thee desk where she had arranged her slate, as well as the quills and the ink at the off chance that he might let her write on actual parchment. She sat down and looked at pastor Belan who was watching her, a strange expression on his face.
”Now, miss Anna… I don’t know how much you know, so I have to ask. Do you know your letters and numbers?”
Anna blinked. She’d known both for ages! Did he really think her so dull? She could only nod mutely.
“Good. Can you write your name?”
Again, Anna nodded.
The priest smiled. “Good. Write it down now.”
Anna nodded silently. For a moment she wanted to reach for thee quills and parchment, just to show him, but instead she picked up the piece of chalk and quickly wrote her name on the slate.
Belan made his way to her, leaning over the desk to look, his eyes growing wide. “Very good, Anna.”
Anna smiled. Awa had praised her hand in writing more than once; not even the sorceress had a finer hand than she did!
Apparently the priest had taken note of her skill, too; the tone of his questions changed and he began quizzing her in earnest; like a proper student and not a dullard.
It took a while but eventually he seemed to be satisfied, he made his way to the window. Looking out to the yard with his hands clasped behind his back for a long moment before he turned back to her.
”Well,” he said as he took a step away from the window, “I would say…”
What he said was a string of curse words in French, as he stumbled onto the cat that had wandered into the sunny spot while his back had been turned.
Anna gasped, her cheeks flushing at the sheer crudity of his curses and stood abruptly, running to rescue the cat before he would kick it; the cat looked indignant at her manhandling of him, but purred as he was clutched against Anna’s chest.
”Please don’t hurt him, sir!” she begged, her eyes going wide. “He didn’t mean to get in your way!”
The expression on the priest’s face was not that of anger but Anna was still scared and took a step back, clutching the cat tighter against her chest. The tom meowed in protest, squirming nearly hard enough to escape her grasp.
“You speak French?” the priest asked, frowning.
Anna began to shake. He was angry with her, she was not supposed to speak French, he was going to…
As if sensing her fear, the priest raised a hand, his expression gentling. “Anna, please answer me,” he said softly, tilting his head to the side. “I am not angry. And please, let go of the cat before you strangle him, I promise to not to harm him.”
Anna flushed as she realized just how tightly she was holding the cat and immediately let him go; the tom landed on the floor gracefully, giving her another indignant look before he went to Belan and began rubbing his face against the priest’s leg.
Belan crouched, his eyes not leaving Anna’s face as his hand found the tom’s ears and rubbed them. “Anna, please, talk to me. Did I frighten you?”
Anna nodded, unable to speak. The cat had begun to purr, and it made her feel a little better. Cats didn’t purr at bad people.
“What was it?” The pastor’s voice was still soft. “Not just the cat?”
Anna nodded, biting her lip again. “I thought you... I thought you would be mad if you knew I spoke French.”
The priest frowned, but it was not an angry expression; his confusion was nearly palpable. “What would make you think so? You are such a bright girl. Did pastor Mullander think it too frivolous?”
At the mention of the priest, Anna froze again; the memory of the man’s fury rose again in her mind and she whimpered, a deep shiver going through her body.
Belan was at her side in an instant, his arms wrapping around her small body in a tight embrace. Anna couldn’t speak, couldn’t help the tears in her eyes as she was held against him, his hand brushing her hair as he murmured soothing words.
She couldn’t help but wish that the arms around her were stronger, that the hand stroking her hair had claws, that she’d be hearing the steady heartbeat of her friend under her cheek and the near-growl of his soothing words… but the priest was warm and solid, and eventually, when he let go of her, she smiled tentatively.
”Now, Anna,” he whispered. “Do you think you can tell me what made you so frightened of… someone dead and gone who will never again be able to hurt you?”
**
Viktor fought hard to suppress a shudder of disgust as Anna finished her story of what had happened the last time she had seen his predecessor alive. It was of utmost importance he present a calming front to her, lest she go into hysterics again… and he had no desire to see the girl so distraught.
“He is dead now, Anna,” he said quietly. “Fear him no longer. And please,” he added, his voice even softer, “Do not fear me just because I am your tutor now.”
The girl nodded hesitantly. “I... I will try,” she said, sniffling a little. “And I’m... I’m not afraid of you, pastor Belan.”
Viktor smiled at her. “I am glad you are not afraid of me, Anna…. And please,” he added as the thought struck him, “Do call me Viktor during these lessons. Do you think you are able to continue or should I go and leave you to rest?”
Anna was willing to continue, and after a brief pause as she cleaned her tear-stained face, they did so. Viktor was rather amazed at the eclectic mix of knowledge the girl seemed to possess, including French and a smattering of Italian but no Latin or Greek.
By the time he left he still did not know just who it was that had tutored Anna; he knew that the bastard who had preceded him could not have taught her, and as bright as Anna was, one could not pick up the pronunciation of a language such as French just from books.
Not that it really mattered, he thought as he made his way to the stables where his bay mare awaited. She would be comfortable enough to tell him in time.
The thoughts of his predecessor troubled him as he took on the road; he had heard many a rumour but had been disinclined to believe until now, until Anna spoke so heartfelt of what had happened. It was such a minor thing – many tutors struck their students, after all, not that Viktor had ever done such a thing – but the fact that the girl had obviously seen something she shouldn’t have, something Mullander should have not been doing at all…
Viktor shuddered. His mare seemed to sense his agitation and raised her head, ears perking. He smiled and leaned down to pat the horse’s neck. “It’s all right, girl,” he murmured. “Just keep going.”
But for the long hours his journey home took, his thoughts kept returning to a very bright young girl…
**
Lordi could hear Anna’s excited chattering well before she and Awa entered the clearing; he frowned, anger slowly starting to build inside him.
His princess was talking about her tutor again.
Lordi knew he should not have been angered; he should have been happy that Anna was so joyous about her studies now, looking forward to the visits from the priest rather than dreading them like before. After all, the new pastor was a young man, kind and gentle who had won her over from her very first lesson with him…
Lordi growled, baring his teeth. He did not trust this priest the least.
When Anna came into sight and immediately cried out his name, Lordi buried his anger by sheer force of will and smiled at her, swooping her up into his arms as she ran to him.
”I missed you!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder.
“I missed you too, princess,” Lordi growled, stroking her hair with his free hand; the other was wrapped around her tiny waist, holding her up against him. Even though she was no longer a little girl, she was still as light as a feather to him and would always remain so.
For a long moment he only held her silently while she watched him with contented blue eyes; until she finally spoke.
”Will you tell me a story?” she asked, smiling.
Lordi found himself answering his simile. “Of course. Princess. What kind of a story?”
”One with a princess and monsters!” She exclaimed, looking at him as if he’d grown a second head; she never did ask for any other kind of a story.
”Very well, Anna,” he purred as he began to make his way to a better spot where he could sit down and pull her properly into his lap.
“Viktor only tells me f... fables,” she stumbled over the word. “He likes Aesop and La Fontaine. But I like your stories better.”
Again, anger rose in Lordi: the priest had gotten overtly familiar with his Anna! But he was also pleased, greatly so, by her preference for his tales.
“Once upon a time…” he began the familiar routine, his claws unconsciously stroking Anna’s golden hair as he began to tell her the story of a beautiful young princess who found herself lost in the dark woods… a story that enthralled Anna till he very last words.
“And as the prince’s façade melted away to reveal the beast of the woods, the princess cried out in joy and embraced him; from thereon, they would live happily ever after.”
Anna giggled and squirmed, sitting up straight form where she had rested against his shoulder.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “You tell it the right way!”
“The right way?” Lordi raised an eyebrow at her words.
Anna nodded. “Yup. When I asked Viktor to tell me a story with a princess and a monster she told it all wrong! The princess kissed the beast and he turned into a prince.” She wrinkled her nose.
Lordi laughed; both at her expression but also to mask the anger that had flared at the mention of the priest’s name. “He did, did he?”
”Yup.” Anna nodded solemnly. “I did tell him he was telling it all wrong, but he just laughed.” She wrinkled her nose again; “He’s so silly for someone so smart.”
“That he is,” he growled as he pulled her closer, masking his anger carefully.
“He’s nice, though;” Anna said as she snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. “I like him a lot.”
Lordi growled.
**
Ruusa could not help but look up from her task of shelling peas at the shade and stare at the priest who was mounting his horse at the courtyard; Pastor Belan was easy on the eyes and so very kind to everyone that Ruusa couldn’t help but be just a bit sweet on him – just like every other woman in the parish, no doubt.
For a moment she felt a brief stab of envy towards the young miss, who got to spend several hours alone with the pastor every time the man came to tutor her; Ruusa shook her head, driving the notion away.
Young miss Anna was barely thirteen, for God’s sake! She had barely began to get any sort of womanly shape and pastor Belan was not the sort of a man who would take advantage of a young girl’s infatuation, not in a million years!
Not that Anna was infatuated with him, Ruusa reminded herself. Ever since the last fall, she had befriended the girl and although she knew naught of what exactly it was that the young miss was up to most of the time, she knew enough. There had been no sighs of longing or doe-eyes made at the priest, no wistfulness at all in the way Anna acted when the priest was away.
Well, maybe a little, Ruusa amended as she continued with her task. Anna was so very eager for books and learning, that she often wished she could get her lessons more often, and in the meantime practised her Latin so very diligently that Ruusa had ended up taking away her book a few times, to keep the girl from studying well into the night.
Ruusa wondered if the priest knew of Anna’s trips into the woods; those, she knew, Anna made as often as she could, and they were the only thing Anna ever neglected her studies for. Ruusa had toyed with the idea of following her more than once, but she knew it would mean a fate worse than death in the hands of the Lord of the Woods…
Ruusa shivered. Her grandmother had told her plenty of tales form the old days, of the beasts that made the forest their home… beasts far worse than any wild animal.
She knew that when pastor Mullander had died, they had said it was wolves. But wolves did not possess such brutal rage as the man had been subjected to… someone, or something, had found cause to utterly destroy the priest…
Ruusa knew it was wicked of her to think so, but the man had deserved it! He’d hurt her sister, and she knew there had been others… but a priest was the most respected man in any community and above such things… so they had suffered in silence. Then, he had met his end…
Because he had struck a little girl.
Ruusa shivered again and picked up her basket; she wanted to get into the sun, out of the shade. She knew that what she should have done was to tell pastor Belan, to tell him of the beast-bite on the girl, of those trips in the woods… it bore all the signs of witchcraft and devilry.
But she knew she would not. Because Anna was not wicked. She could remember the look in the girl’s eyes as she told her that the pastor was dead; no wicked being could have mimicked that look of horror. She could not have known of the man’s fate and couldn’t have sent the beasts after him… she had denied that any hell spawn could hurt a priest, even!
But Lord of the Woods was no hell spawn.
Again, Ruusa shuddered; angrily, she popped the peapod in her hand and began to work twice as hard as before. She would be better off not thinking about this!
**
Despite the sun, the air was unusually chilly for such a high summer’s day, and Viktor found himself spurring his horse forward. There was something in the air, some strange, sinister feeling that he did not like at all.
His hand clutched the cross he wore around his neck and he muttered a brief prayer; he knew from what he had been told that he was on the same stretch of road that his predecessor’s body had been found on.
Viktor had been born and raised in a small hut no more than an hour’s ride from where his horse now halted, rearing and neighing in fright; he knew all the stories of what lurked in the woods but right now his main concern was to calm his horse and therefore he would not think of just what might be coming upon him.
He didn’t succeed and fell to the ground, air escaping his lungs as his mare reared for one last time, taking off in a frightened gallop. He could tell he couldn’t have hung on anyway…
The jumbled train of his thoughts halted as he caught sight of just what had frightened his gentle mare into bolting – or who, more like it.
The creature that stood less than ten yards from Viktor’s prostrate position was monstrous, no other word for it. Horns on its head, wings on its back, with red eyes that shone like hellfire and fangs that looked razor-sharp as the creature growled. Clad in strange, barbaric armor and holding a double-headed axe, there was no mistaking of just what Viktor was facing.
He bit his lip to suppress the instinctive Lord protect me as he scrambled on his feet; it was probably the worst thing he could say at the moment.
“What do you want with me,” he croaked instead, “Lord of the Woods?”
The Lord of the Woods growled and stalked forward without words; Viktor swallowed hard, standing his ground. Whatever would come, would come and he would face it with all the strength and determination he could muster.
The creature growled, tossing its... nay, his head. “What do you think I want?”
Viktor swallowed again. “I don’t know,” he said, proud of the fact that his voice did not shake. “What have I done that has raised your ire so?”
The answer came in that same bone-chilling, low growl. “The girl.”
Viktor did not have to ask what girl? – There was only one girl the Lord of the Woods could have meant.
“Anna.” He whispered her name quietly.
”The last one died for touching her,” the beast growled, taking a step forwards.
“Mullander?” Viktor asked, although he knew the answer. “He deserved it.”
He could sense hesitation in the creature, and knew his one chance in making sure he came out of this alive was here. “For everything he did. For... touching what you had claimed.”
Viktor knew he was treading on thin ice, he could not know if the Lord had indeed claimed Anna… but he could see the red marks on the girl’s neck clear as day in his mind’s eye, the little dots he thought had been a peculiar birthmark rather than what he now realized them to be.
“And yet you dare,” the creature growled, taking another step close; he was barely three yards from Viktor now, towering over the slight priest.
“Dare what, Lord?” Viktor asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I have only…”
The backhand that hit his face came out of nowhere and Viktor stumbled, going down on one knee.
“You have dared to lay your hands on her!” the beast growled, nay, roared.
“She’s a child in need of comfort!” Viktor groaned, tasting blood in his mouth. “I am not… I would never... she’s just a little girl!”
The implication of the beast’s words made Viktor feel sick in his stomach; did the Lord of the Woods truly think of him capable of such depravity? He was… he knew he was not right, but he was not something like that!
He looked up, his eyes wide. “I swear to God I would never, ever do that,” he choked. “She is… she is yours.”
Some part of him wondered just how monstrous the Lord of the Woods was, but those thoughts were quickly abolished – it was not out of sheer jealousy that he was being confronted; the beast was protective of Anna, more than anything.
The fact that Viktor had told him that Anna was his seemed to calm the Lord slightly, but not much. “She is a child now,” he growled, the implication clear in his voice.
Viktor swallowed hard. Would he have to reveal his shameful secret to gain enough ground with the creature to prevent his death, to be allowed to guide the bright young mind that he had grown to love like a sister in such a short time?
“I became a priest for a reason,” he whispered hoarsely. “I do not prefer the company of women.”
**
Lordi was taken aback by the priest’s bluntness at admitting to being a sodomite. This was not something he had expected, especially not since this was a clergyman.
The angers that had began to dissipate at the priest’s acknowledgement that Anna was his slowly ebbed away completely as Lordi regarded him with eyes no longer clouded with fury.
The priest had straightened up and was now looking him in the eye, his expression that of resolve; Lordi could tell, from the speed of his heartbeat and the shallowness of his breath, that the man was still frightened – but he was not letting his fear rule him.
Perhaps… perhaps he might let the priest live.
“And how do I know you tell me the truth?” he growled.
The priest bit his lip, but his heartbeat did not quicken any further; it was one of the telltale signs of honesty that Lordi was an expert at reading.
“Because no one can lie to the Lord of the Woods,” the man said matter-of-factly, licking his lips. “I learned that from my grandmother.”
Lordi laughed. “That is true, priest.”
The moment of silence that passed was but a few heartbeats, but Lordi knew that to the priest it had to feel like an eternity. Eventually, he spoke again. “You will live, priest. But know that if Anna ever comes to harm from you..”
”I will die. I understand.“ the man nodded.
“Anna would miss you,” Lordi admitted grudgingly, if without anger. “So see that it won’t come to that.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
With that, Lordi turned away from him and stalked into the woods, becoming one with the shadows. He did not wish to risk his anger rising again, now that he had decided that the priest would live... for the time being.
**
Viktor stared at the trees, where the Lord of the Woods had disappeared; a deep shiver went through his spine as he realized that he had survived the encounter.
Breath escaped his lungs in a sigh of relief and his knees nearly gave way as the terror that had gripped his spine slowly ebbed away.
He had encountered the Lord of the Woods, and survived to tell the tale.
No, not just that, he realized, guilt welling up as his hand came to clutch the cross around his neck. He had specifically aroused the ire of the creature, and he had lived. Not that he had ever had any intention of causing offense but… he had still survived something he shouldn’t have.
Relief threatened to bubble out with hysterical laughter but Viktor bit his lip; he shouldn’t, for he couldn’t tell if the creature still lurked, and would regret his decision if disrespect was shown...
Besides, he was going to need all his strength for the long walk that awaited him now that Silvia had bolted.
He gave his clothes one last brush as he began to trek along the road; he was hoping that he might run into his horse before too long, but his hopes were not very high.
That was shy the fact that Silvia was waiting for him just around the bend was quite surprising.
However, majority of Viktor’s surprise came from the fact that rather than grazing, Silvia was being fed some sort of a treat by a creature that, even thought it bore no resemblance to the Lord of the Woods, was clearly monstrous.
”I do hope you don’t intend to eat her,” Viktor blurted out before he could prevent it, “Because she is a fine horse.”
The creature tilted its horned head, the green eyes meeting Viktor’s across the road. “Not likely,” it snorted as it stroked Silvia’s long neck.
“Good, then,” Viktor said cheerfully as he began to walk to wards his steed again. “Might I ask what you were intending to do?”
A part of him was screaming for him to be terrified by this monster, but Viktor knew that it would be futile – the Lord of the Woods had not slain him, and had said that Anna would be disappointed if he died... so how likely would it be that any of his minions would harm him?
The creature tilted its head, the slowly returning sunlight glinting off the ring of metal piercing its… his nose. “Take care of her, till they found your corpse. But you aren’t dead.”
“I like to think so, yes,” Viktor said.
“Why did Lordi let you go?”
Viktor shrugged, his mouth going dry; he did not know quite what to say. “He deemed me… someone who would never hurt Anna or interfere with his claim:”
He resolved to not think about what such a claim might entail.
“Unexpected... but good.” The monster snorted again. “She would be sad if you were to die, I think. And none of us want to see her so.”
At that moment, Viktor became aware of small things; of the sound of hissing sand, the smell of dead roses, the unmistakable knowledge that one was being observed by a predator, and nodded solemnly.
“I hope I will never give reason for her to be sad,” he said quietly. “Now… still have a long journey ahead., so might I get my horse back?”
Without words, the creature stepped back. Viktor nodded his thanks and went to Silvia, who tilted her head towards him and whickered gently.
“I’m afraid I have no treats for you, girl,” he said quietly. “But when we get home, we’ll have to see about that.”
When he turned to thank the creature again, he faced only thin air... and hoof prints on the ground.
**
Previous Part / Next part
